Avionic data systems for both atmospheric and space vehicles routinely use data storage devices in the form of conventional magnetic tape recorders which have been ruggedized for the avionics environment. This approach has placed severe limitations on the data system performance due to poor reliability, slow speed operation, large size, moving mechanical parts resulting in limited life and restricted operational environments requiring additional cost and weight to enable even limited life in operational avionics data systems.
A need for a recorder system compatible with advances in the state-of-the-art of avionic data systems and responsive to the needs of present day mission requirements has been outstanding for nearly twenty years. High speed record/playback, large memory capacities, low power and weight, small size, high reliability, long life and ruggedized performance are highly desireable for vehicles such as aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, ocean vehicles, land vehicle, instrumented projectiles and modern weapons systems test beds. These problems have been eliminated with this invention that has a record/playback unit which eliminates all moving parts by relying on a completely semiconductor unit which is compatible with the environmental constraints of other electronics used for acquiring and processing data.